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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


California Nature: Dolphin


Related to dolphins and whales, the porpoise is often referred to as a "small dolphin." The word porpoise has often been used colloquially to describe porpoises, dolphins and in some cases larger whales. However, the family of porpoise are very different from dolphins.

The vast similarities between dolphins and porpoises are astounding, to the naked and untrained eye, most common people would be unable to distinguish one from the other; this is generally because they are related. Porpoises are divided in to six species and sub species, while dolphins are divided into 40 different main types.

The average dolphin is generally longer than the average porpoise, and the most obvious visible difference between the two groups is that porpoises have flattened, spade-shaped teeth. Porpoise also have small flippers, lack the prominent beak associated with many dolphins and have a more triangular dorsal fin rather than falcate.

Dolphin and porpoise may have some key differences, such as their size, varying types and aesthetic differences, but regardless of this they share the common ability to amaze and entrain countless millions who are dazzled by their amazing intellect and even human characteristics.
In california you can swim with the dolphins Dolphins are among the smallest of cetaceans: whales, dolphins and porpoises. The greatest number of dolphin species belongs to the largest cetacean family, the Delphinidae that contain dolphins  widely referred to as ocean dolphins. Many species of dolphins are streamlined in shape and have a prominent dorsal fin, are capable of great speed in the water and exhibit spectacular acrobatics.

There are some species of dolphin that lack a dorsal fin but the majority have a dorsal fin and it is situated midway down the back. Most species of dolphin have a head that tapers into a distinct beak with varying numbers of conical, sharp teeth in both the upper and lower jaw with some exceptions.

It is difficult to estimate population numbers since there are many different species spanning a large geographic area. Dolphins are well known for their agility and playful behavior, making them a favorite of wildlife watchers. Many species will leap out of the water, spy-hop (rise vertically out of the water to view their surroundings) and follow ships, often synchronizing their movements with one another. Scientists believe that dolphins conserve energy by swimming alongside ships, a practice known as bow-riding.
Dolphins breathe air at the surface of the water through a single blowhole located near the top of the head. They need to breathe about every two minutes, but can hold their breath for several minutes. Their blow is a single, explosive cloud.

Dolphins live in social groups of five to several hundred. They use echolocation to find prey and often hunt together by surrounding a school of fish, trapping them and taking turns swimming through the school and catching fish. Dolphins will also follow seabirds, other whales and fishing boats to feed opportunistically on the fish they scare up or discard.

Dolphins are often heard clicking. Contrary to popular thought, clicking is likely not communication, but rather the sonar system dolphins use for navigation, food-finding and avoidance of predators. Clicks are one of three classes of sounds dolphins produce, in addition to squawks (whose purpose is unknown, although these sounds are made while dolphins are socializing), and pure tones, one of which is known as that dolphin's "signature whistle."
Dolphins enjoy wimming in the shallow shores near California
Dolphins are among the most sexual of animals, and are not monogamous. When aroused, a dolphin male may mate several times an hour, often with the same female but not always. Even though, males swim away and female dolphins usually depend on their pods to help them protect the baby dolphin.

After eleven or twelve months, depending on the species, a pregnant dolphin gives birth. Dolphins are among the few animals that have assisted births; when a dolphin is giving birth, she’s often assisted by another female dolphin who acts as midwife.

Birth, can happen anywhere. When it does happen, the mother’s pod will surround her protectively while she’s in labor, waiting to fend off any predators who may be thinking about a quick and easy meal. Baby dolphins are born tail-first to avoid get drown and are usually single births, with the exception of a few smaller dolphin species which tend to have two calves. Dolphin mothers help their calves to reach the surface by swimming beneath them and gently lifting upward to get their first breath.
Dolphins have been declared the world’s second most intelligent creatures after humans, with scientists suggesting they are so bright that they should be treated as “non-human persons”. Studies into dolphin behavior have highlighted how similar their communications are to those of humans and that they are brighter than chimpanzees. These have been backed up by anatomical research showing that dolphin brains have many key features associated with high intelligence.

The researchers argue that their work shows it is morally unacceptable to keep such intelligent animals in amusement parks or to kill them for food or by accident when fishing. Some 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises die in this way each year.“

Many dolphin brains are larger than our own and second in mass only to the human brain when corrected for body size,” said Lori Marino, a zoologist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, who has used magnetic resonance imaging scans to map the brains of dolphin species and compare them with those of primates.
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